


The Colossi Papers

by SecondStarfall (beantiger)



Series: The Second Starfall Stories [34]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Beaches, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style, Fantasy, Gen, Genderqueer Character, Giants, Libraries, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Medieval, Meteor, Monks, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Pre-Apocalypse, Research, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22976293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beantiger/pseuds/SecondStarfall
Summary: "It’s all there. The lore we know of First and Second Starfall. All of it."***An old knight seeks out lore about his country and his ancestors.
Series: The Second Starfall Stories [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582975
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	The Colossi Papers

**Author's Note:**

> This is a version of the original Twitterfic, same title, posted over at my now-deactivated personal account in February 2020. It has been given minor edits for consistency with other stories and readability on AO3. ❤️
> 
>  **SUGGESTED RE-READING:** I mentioned Sir Galien in ["A Memory of Stars"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097947) and ["Empathy at Midnight."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22218832) He's a different guy than the tulip-farmer Galien Tarrou, who is his nephew.
> 
> ✨ [[see the full SecStar timeline](https://secondstarfall.com/index.php/Official_Timeline) | [check out the SecStar wiki](https://secondstarfall.com/)] ✨

The old knight Sir Galien Tarrou, also known as Galien the Redwood, lay his warhammer gently on the beach.

"This is truly it," said the Varyan curator known simply as Kestrel. "The Saint’s Wrist. I sense the presence inside." 

Their bird-like head clicked rapidly as they spoke. Except—was it a head? Did Varyans truly have the skulls of animals? Or—and Sir Galien examined Kestrel as closely as possible, leaning in over the hammer—were they human inside beast-like masks?

"I would not have sailed ten thousand leagues from Althussant if I did not think it was of use to you," the knight replied, unable to come to a conclusion about Varyan physiology. "The book?"

What Kestrel handed Sir Galien, standing on their toes to reach his seven-and-a-half feet of height, was not really a book. Simply a bundle of papers tied together with twine, and an unimpressive one, at that, every page a different shade of yellow.

"A history of the colossi, sir," Kestrel said. Sand whirled around their feet, tossed about by a light and fragrant wind.

Sir Galien said, "And this is of use to me? I need you to understand—if what you say about giants is true…"

The curator’s beady eyes twitched in a way that seemed to indicate stifled laughter. "Colossi, sir. Your ancestors were called colossi. Great beings of twelve feet in height, or more. They were constructed to—ah, but it’s all in those documents. And they bred down, down, until they were quite indistinguishable from very large humans." 

Sir Galien mumbled, "Cultists created the giants, yes? Those Kaaminan…"

"It’s all there. The lore we know of First and Second Starfall. All of it. And thank you for the Saint’s Wrist, sir."

With a chirping grunt, Kestrel lifted the warhammer and shouldered it. The weapon measured longer than the Varyan themself.

"For this kind of information? Yes. Yes." Sir Galien allowed a pang of anxiety to pound against his gut. He thought of the hidden figures behind Althussian history. Secret guilds. Shadow-people. "If you are worried...I do not expect the Althussian authorities to leave the safety of our little valley for the Wrist. If they do...well: throw me under the carriage, so to speak."

"Crater, sir. Your kingdom is in a crater. And nor do I." As Kestrel bowed, their translucent skin shuddered with a hundred colors. "We have always wanted an Althussian element for our collection here in Varya, you see. We intend to coax the creature within the hammer to speak to us." 

"Your people have ritualists?"

"Diplomats."

Sir Galien trudged back to his boat, the colossi papers tucked within his tunic.

"Never wanted that accursed hammer, at any rate!" he shouted as he began to row. "It whispers at night. Beware!" 

Kestrel the curator lifted one crystalline hand, their fingers glittering in the sun, their body tilting sideways from the hammer's weight. Behind them, beyond the knot of beachside jungle, towered a thousand transparent and needle-like libraries, all reflecting gold light. 

Libraries. Museums. Archives. What an island these people had. Perhaps one day Sir Galien would investigate...

The old knight stumbled deep into thought, the sea’s rush lulling him into a state of focus. He did not hear the Varyan shout back at him from the shore:

"Safe travels, sir! Do you intend to stop Second Starfall? Or does your daughter, at the capital? That’s what your people are made for! That was your one true—"

But the Varyan had, as Sir Galien rowed, become a reddish, avian-shaped star on the horizon. Then—feeling as though he was escaping a terrible doom—he could not see Kestrel at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment or a kudos or whatever the heck if this tickled your fancy. There shall be more! ❤️ Also, please let me know what other characters, relationships, or places you'd like to hear about. I have lots of ideas, but I'd enjoy writing a few stories for y'all as well.
> 
> ✨ [[see the full SecStar timeline](https://secondstarfall.com/index.php/Official_Timeline) | [check out the SecStar wiki](https://secondstarfall.com/)] ✨
> 
>  **AUTHOR'S COMMENTARY:** I haven't reread this piece in a while (it's currently June 2020 as I write this) and I'm still rather proud of how it turned out. Lots of good lines. I know the lore bits probably aren't most folks' favorites, but they are super, super fun to put together.


End file.
